Electric longboards could also be a cool and useful type of city transportation, however they’re usually too huge to carry in an airline-friendly bag. The aptly-named Traveler Board is an exception, and whereas it’s made with portability in thoughts, it nonetheless boasts some spectacular specs.
Currently the topic of a Kickstarter marketing campaign, the Traveler Board was designed by San Francisco-based ex-Tesla engineer Mike King.
First and foremost, it could reportedly be damaged down and packed into an included TSA-compliant backpack in lower than one minute. This performance comes thanks to its QuickSplit know-how, which was impressed by the meeting mechanisms of splitboard snowboards. And it ought to be famous that the backpack does embrace some additional area for objects akin to a laptop computer pc or pill.
The Traveler Board is propelled by two rear-wheel motors, that are in flip powered by a battery mounted below the deck. Backers can select between two variations of each the motors and the battery.
In the Performance mannequin of the board, twin 2,450-watt motors are powered by a 274-Wh lithium battery pack, delivering a high pace of 33 mph (53 km/h) – the battery pack will be cut up into three airport-security-friendly 91-Wh batteries for journey. The sleeker Base mannequin is provided with two 1,380-watt motors powered by a 99-Wh battery, producing a high pace of 27 mph (43 km/h). Two of the batteries are included, so customers can shortly swap one for the opposite.
According to the designers, the Performance mannequin ought to be good for a variety of 19 miles (31 km) per cost, with the Base mannequin sitting at 6 miles (10 km) for every battery. The two fashions are claimed to tip the scales at 13.5 lb (6.1 kg) and 12.7 lb (5.8 kg) respectively, and may deal with a most rider weight of 250 lb (113 kg).
For customers wanting a bit extra oomph, it is doable to equip the board with higher-performance aftermarket motors and/or batteries.
Components-wise, among the Traveler Board’s highlights embrace Caliber II vehicles, Orangatang wheels, Riptide/Blood Orange bushings, Zealous bearings, and a Canadian maple/triaxial fiberglass deck.
Although lower-priced supply-your-own-battery packages can be found, pledges for the variations described begin at US$2,095 for the Base and $2,099 for the Performance. Assuming every part goes in accordance to plan, they need to ship subsequent May. Pledges will solely be accepted from US-based prospects, however potential consumers in different international locations are invited to e mail the corporate at assist@travelerboardsusa.com for updates on wider industrial availability.
You can see the Traveler Board being disassembled and reassembled, within the video under.
Potential backers may also need to try the present Italian-designed Linky folding electric longboard, which is priced at €999 (about US$972).
Traveler Boards – Packing and Unpacking the World’s Most Portable Electric Skateboards
Sources: Kickstarter, Traveler Boards